[0.18.36] Crash on startup, mod: EvolutionThroughResearch

[MEOWMI]

Not entirely sure if this is worth reporting but the game made me think it might be. I'll report it to the mod author as well.

Description:
Hard crash in loading stage when running the mod EvolutionThroughResearch ( https://mods.factorio.com/mod/EvolutionThroughResearch ).

How to reproduce:
-Install and activate EvolutionThroughResearch
-Restart for crash

[Rseding91]

Can you post your mod-settings.dat file from the mods folder as well?

[MEOWMI]

Attached.

(Also to further clarify, the game loaded with other mods. Tried Pyanodon's mods.)

For what it's worth, the mod loads fine if I clear the settings file (which I'm ok with at the moment).

[CaveGrinder]

tried looking also from my side if my mod is doing something funny - but not really.
the only additional info i have is: with the given settings file, it is reproducible, both in 0.18.36 and 0.18.40
(steps performed: clear mods folder, download mod-settings_0.txt, rename to mod-settings.dat. add EvolutionThroughResearch_0.1.3.zip from the portal. start game)
callstack / log was the same as in attachment.
globalmodsettings.cpp (228): GlobalModSettingsHelper::save
ERROR: SymGetLineFromAddr64, GetLastError: 487
my mod adds a startup int-setting "evolution-through-research-frequency". Your settings file doesn't contain it yet - and then there is a crash on start if starting the game with that new setting.

[Rseding91]

I tried loading the mod-settings.dat file locally with the debugger attached and it failed to load the file detecting it as corrupt.

Do you have any idea if the file was edited with some outside-editor? Or do you have any way to reproduce the settings corruption?